Older adults are at a high risk of disability, long term hospitalization, unfavorable discharge disposition, and death after injury, but age itself is a poor indicator of risk due to the heterogeneity of older adults [1-3]. The concept of “frailty” is used to identify homeostenotic older adults with low physiological reserves and vulnerability to illness and other stressors. Such patients also have alterations in energy metabolism, decreased skeletal muscle mass and quality, and altered hormonal and inflammatory functions. Frailty is associated with excess functional decline, dependency, disability, increased healthcare utilization, hospitalization, institutionalization, and death [4-5].
The geriatric syndrome of “frailty”, i.e., “frailty syndrome” or “FS”, is one of the greatest challenges facing our aging population, and is associated with adverse health outcomes, dependency, institutionalization and mortality. National population projections from the US Census Bureau estimate that by 2050 the number of older adults (e.g., >65 years old) in the US will double. Frailty prevalence increases with age, with up to 30% of the population meeting frailty criteria by age 90 [4]. Thus, the US population of (frail) elders is rapidly growing. Health care utilization and associated costs among this population account for a disproportionate percentage of US health care costs. In geriatric care, prevention, early diagnosis, intervention and management of frailty are critical and growing challenges.
Beyond the geriatric population, frailty as a clinical syndrome has also been observed in certain younger patients. In particular, those with underlying chronic viral infections, such as HIV, have been found to be frail. Similarly, patients with chronic renal insufficiency who are on dialysis have been diagnosed as frail, as well as adult survivors of childhood cancers. FS is becoming increasingly recognized as a distinct clinical syndromic state in a wide range of patients over a wide range of ages.
This Background is provided to introduce a brief context for the Summary and Detailed Description that follow. This Background is not intended to be viewed as limiting the claimed subject matter to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages or problems presented herein.